COMSTOCK PARK, MI – West Michigan Whitecaps starting pitcher Rayner Castillo became the first 'Caps pitcher to go six innings, but the offense couldn't help, as a late rally by the Lansing Lugnuts resulted in a 5-2 loss in front of 7,558 fans Tuesday night at LMCU Ballpark.
Castillo allowed just one run through six innings while registering seven strikeouts, giving up just three runs through his last 15.2 innings pitched. Meanwhile, the 'Caps bats couldn't get going, managing just seven hits while only earning one at-bat on the night with runners in scoring position in the loss.
Both starting pitchers canceled each other out through the first five innings, as Castillo cruised through five scoreless innings, while Lugnuts starter Jorge Marcheco followed suit, allowing just four runners through five shutout frames to keep the game locked at zero. Lansing grabbed the lead in the sixth as third baseman Daniel Bucciero added an RBI single before 'Caps second baseman Samuel Gil tied the game with a solo homer in the bottom half, 1-1. Lansing then exploded for four runs in the seventh, highlighted by an RBI double from outfielder Pedro Pineda, before Whitecaps outfielder Jackson Strong collected an RBI single in the bottom half, trimming the deficit to 5-2. The Lugnuts bullpen slammed the door over the last two innings, as relievers Mitch Myers and Luis Carrasco combined for two shutout frames to cap off the 5-2 loss.
The Whitecaps fall to 24-19 in the second half and 48-59 overall, while the Lugnuts improve to 19-23 in the second half and 48-58 overall. 'Caps reliever Ethan Sloan (5-4) suffers his fourth loss, allowing four runs through one inning pitched. Meanwhile, Lugnuts reliever Griffin Kirn (1-1) picks up his first win, giving up one run through 1.1 innings, and Carrasco gets his fifth save with a scoreless ninth inning. The Whitecaps are now one game back from the Great Lakes Loons for first place in the Midwest League East Division standings.
UP NEXT
The Whitecaps continue their second-to-last regular season homestand and six-game series at LMCU Ballpark against the Lansing Lugnuts on Wednesday night, with first pitch scheduled for 6:35 pm. Lefties Ben Jacobs and Tucker Novotny get the starts for the Whitecaps and Lugnuts. Broadcast coverage with Dan Hasty and Nate Wangler begins on the Whitecaps Baseball Network at 6:20 pm on ‘The Ticket West Michigan’ and 1340 WJRW-AM in Grand Rapids, and online at WhitecapsBaseball.com.